Diocesan/Parish Appointments

NEW PASTORAL INITATIVES AND APPOINTMENTS IN WEST CLARE PARISHES

Bishop Willie Walsh has announced the following re-organisation of the parishes of the West Clare Cluster of Parishes. The changes arise from the recent retirements of three parish priests in the area, the appointment of a full time pastoral worker to serve these parishes and from the reality that the Bishop no longer has a supply of priests to replace those who retire. The clustering or gathering together of parishes in co-operative units has been taking place throughout the Diocese since 2003 and is being modified in each area to take particular account of the needs of that area. In a recent statement to the parishes, the Bishop said, "The present reality in the West Clare Cluster calls us to move to an even deeper sense of communion among our parishes. I am conscious that one parish within the Cluster has no resident priest and there is a need to ease the burden of work on those priests who have reached retirement age, after more than 50 years of loyal and generous priesthood. It is really unthinkable that any faith community should feel alone or that those who carry a heavy workload should be without support."

It was in the soil of West Clare that St Senan received the seed of faith, a seed that was nurtured there and bore fruit, so that Senan could reach out beyond these shores and feed the hunger of hearts who longed to hear Good News throughout Europe. Evoking the memory of Senan and the deep faith heritage of West Clare it is appropriate that from now on the West Clare Cluster be known as the Cluster of Inis Chathaigh.

The following changes will therefore be made in the cluster of Inis Chathaigh, operable from November 1st 2009:

1. Fr. Gerry Kenny to be Parish Priest Kilkee and Doonbeg.
2. Fr. Joe Haugh to be Assistant Priest, Kilkee and Doonbeg.

3. Fr. Michael Sheedy to be Parish Priest, Kilrush and Killimer.
4. Fr. Michael Collins to be C.C.. Kilrush and Killimer.

5. Fr. Michael Casey to be Parish Priest, Cross and Carrigaholt.
6. Fr Paddy Culligan to be Assistant Priest, Cross and Carrigaholt.

7. Fr. John Kelly to be Parish Priest, Kilmuny Mc Mahon and Cooraclare.
8. Fr. Pat Carmody to be Assistant Priest, Kilmurry Mc Mahon and Cooraclare.

9. Fr. Peter O' Loughlin to be Parish Priest, Kilmihil and Assistant Priest Cooraclare.
10. Maureen Kelly to be full time Pastoral Worker, Inis Chathaigh Cluster
11. Fr. Michael Collins to be Moderator, Inis Chathaigh Cluster.

To facilitate this way of working together two mini-clusters of parishes will replace the present arrangement of three groups of three. The parishes of Cross, Carrigaholt, Kilkee and Doonbeg will form one working group while Kilmihil, Kilmurry Mc Mahon, Killimer, Kilrush and Cooraclare will form a second local working group. These working groups will help to make the work of the Cluster more effective at local level. Fr. Michael Collins has been appointed Moderator of Inis Chathaigh Cluster, with the role of co-ordinating and moving forward the development of the Cluster

 

 

New Structure for Pastoral Care in the Ennis Area

Following the untimely death of Fr. Michael McNamara, Bishop Walsh has announced a new Pastoral Initiative for the Cluster of Parishes of Doora-Barefield, Claraecastle, Ennis and Quin. The priests in these four parishes have already been working closely together. In order to further promote this co-operation Fr. Jerry Carey, who has been Adm. at St. Joseph’s Church in Ennis for the past ten years, is moving to the parish of Doora-Barefield. Fr. John McGovern who has been curate in Clarecastle since August 2002 is taking over from Fr. Carey at St. Joseph’s.

The Bishop met recently with the Pastoral Councils of Doora, Barefield and Roslevan. He emphasised the need for and the benefits of all four parishes, priests and laity, working in close co-operation with each other.

He explained to them that the death of Fr. Michael means that there will be one priest less working in the cluster area. He informed them that in the coming months the number, location and times of Masses in all four parishes will be reviewed in consultation with the Pastoral Councils. Similar groupings of parishes have been established across the Diocese and each cluster group will be responding to the particular pastoral needs of their area.

Each parish will retain its separate identity and the priest(s) residing in the parish will give priority to the pastoral needs of that parish. They will however work in close co-operation with each other in order to best serve the pastoral needs of the whole cluster area. This will often mean that a priest residing in one parish will take responsibility for some special aspect of pastoral care in another parish.

With the diminishing number of priests available there has been a significant and encouraging growth in the active involvement of the laity in the life of our parishes through Parish Pastoral Councils, Finance Committees, Boards of Management of Schools, and many other different ministries.

This new Pastoral Initiative will not only involve greater teamwork amongst the priests but also closer co-operation amongst the laity.

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Priests' Appointments 2009

Bishop Willie Walsh of Killaloe has made the following clerical appointments in the diocese. These appointments take effect from Friday 31st July 2009

V. Rev. Pat Sexton, Parish Priest, Scariff Co. Clare to be Priest in Residence, Scariff.

V. Rev. Martin O'Brien, Adm. Tulla to be Parish Priest in Tulla.

V. Rev. Gerry Kenny, Diocesan Secretary to be Parish Priest in Kilkee and a member of the team of priests serving in the West Clare Cluster of Parishes.

Rev. Ger Nash, Priest in Residence in Crusheen and Imeall Boirne parishes to be also part time Diocesan Secretary.

V. Rev, Donagh O'Meara P.P. Kilkee to work in the Diocese of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Rev. John Molloy, CC Cathedral Ennis to go on Missionary Work in South America.

Rev. Fergal O'Neill, recently ordained to be C.C. Cathedral Ennis.

V. Rev Michael Casey PP Cross to be also spiritual director to the Apostolic Work Society in the Diocese of Killaloe.

Rev. Oliver Ryan to continue working in O'Callaghans Mills Parish pending the appointment of a Parish Priest.

Rev. Pat Deely CC Toomevara to take sabbatical leave of absence to pursue studies at Milltown Institute in Dublin.
 
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